At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2014, one of the worst kept secrets of the season was finally unveiled; Sebastian Vettel would be finally moving to Ferrari. But I ask you: can Sebastian Vettel rebuild Ferrari, Formula One’s grandest team?
Gone are the days of Ferrari’s supremacy of the early 2000s, Michael Schumacher’s five titles on the bounce and Kimi Raikkonen’s trojan title in 2007 showed Ferrari reigned at the top of Formula 1 for almost an entire decade.
Sebastian Vettel has four world titles to his name and at the age of 27 he has achieved so much in so little time in the sport, but much has been argued over the young German’s capabilities as a racer; for many years of his driving career in F1, he has had what many have considered the best car on the grid.
Having won so many races starting from pole position, it remains to be seen whether he can produce the same results in an uncompetitive car. He proved this to an extent in 2008, when he scored 35 points, compared to team-mate Sebastien Bourdais’s four, in a weak Toro Rosso car, but still the questions remains: how good is Sebastian in more difficult situations? Last season, we saw a glimpse of how frustrated Seb can get when the car isn’t to his liking, and he struggled against his Aussie team-mate in the same car; the only time he has scored fewer points than his team-mate in his career.
With Ferrari so far in the mire – having failed to win a race since Spain 2013, the question is whether they can pick up a position since Germany 2012, and without a constructors’ title since 2008 and a drivers’ title since 2007. How long will it take Ferrari to win once again?
Maurizio Arrivabene is also the new boss within the Maranello outfit, and within weeks of his arrival some senior staff were shown the door very quickly: Pat Fry the technical director left the team; as well as Luca Marmorini of the engine department,; chief designer Nikolas Tombazis and Hirohide Hamashima. It clearly seems like he has a plan and wants to implement it as quickly as possible. Already a new senior member of staff has been brought into the team: Jock Clear, Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer at Mercedes. He has agreed terms with the constructors’ champions to join the Scuderia, and many more signings, I’m sure, are on the way.
Ferrari have an incredible tradition within the sport of F1, and Sebastian Vettel will only be the third German to join it as a driver, after Wolfgang von Trips and Michael Schumacher. With so many things to fix and rebuild at the team, the Italian team must be working incredibly hard to enjoy the successes of yesteryear. Sebastian Vettel is looking for a new project and to emulate his hero Michael Schumacher, it’s clear that there is so much work still to be done within the walls of Maranello.
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